Mary Sue Must Die!
by Ano Hito
Summary: Do you hate Mary Sue? Read on as the Yu Yu boys have to contend with and beat their most horrible foe yet: Mary Sue! It's actually not a humor story, but rather a realistic look at the capabilities of this monster.
1. Enter the Beautiful Beast

_Author's note: this is a revision of a chapter posted October 15th, 2003. Minor revisions throughout, but mostly unchanged. Revised November 4th, 2007_

_Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'!_

_Warnings: mentioned KurmaxBotan, takes place after the end of the manga, so may contain spoilers for those who have yet to finish the series_

* * *

Yusuke was home for good. Since his loss at the Makai tournament and subsequent return to Ningenkai, his life had lacked a certain thrill. There was no one to fight - in fact, it bothered him that he had returned at all. There really was nothing for him in the human world, was there? He earned cash here and there in underground prize fights, but had had no real responsibilities. He still lived with his mother, but they rarely saw each other; he made no effort to keep in touch with Hiei, and encounters with Kurama and Kewabara were limited to chance meetings on the street. He was all of nineteen years old, but had no direction, no real friends. He ached at times for companionship, but he'd search through his mind for any potential squeezes and turn up empty. He simply had never forged any more than a superficial friendship with any girl in his entire life. At times he would stretch out on the couch, letting the garbled voices on TV fade away into background noise and think of a girl who sometimes appeared in his dreams. She was plain, unremarkable, yet so...distant. Just when it would seem that he'd get a firm picture of her face in his mind, it would disappear again into the depths of his unconscious mind. 

On this particular day of aimless wondering, he considered for a moment calling Kurama for a brawl, but the idea left a sour flavor in his mouth. Kurama wouldn't agree to it, or if he did, he wouldn't put up a good fight anyway. There was always Kewabara, but he was no challenge. Besides, he was probably too busy studying for his university classes. Yusuke's eyes came to rest on the television. It was off now, and he could clearly see his own reflection in it. He looked far too innocent than he really was. If he wasn't in such a melancholy mood, he might have laughed. The VCR's timer blinked 00:00. Yusuke hazarded a guess that it was around seven in the evening on a friday night. Most kids would go to school the next day, most adults would go to work. Yusuke had no obligation to attend either. As he imagined these dreary people trudging off to their respective prisons, his mind wandered back to the girl. He could almost see her now. Short, in the cute sort of way, soft brown hair he could run his fingers through, and large, brown eyes. What could her name be? Kimiko, Kanon, Kazuko...?

His progress on the puzzle of the mystery girl was shattered by a loud rap at the door. For a moment he thought of answering, and ran his hand over his slicked hair to make sure there were no stupid-looking strays sticking up. He changed his mind immediately. He felt a mighty lethargy pulling him down, and a certain bitterness that made him loathe to speak with anyone. Another knock sounded through the apartment. The noise was curiously much more resonant than before, and it almost seemed to reverberate through Yusuke's very being. He felt compelled to move. Someone significant was at the door. Yusuke got up and then reeled and fell back onto the couch as be felt the presence of an enormous source of yoki. He quickly pulled himself upright, gave his shirt a tug, and lurched towards the door. With the feeling that something very important was about to happen, he placed his calloused hands on the doorknob and turned. Light streamed into the darkened house, unnaturally bright, as though an atomic bomb had imploded on the doorstep. And then after half a second it was gone. Yusuke wondered it had even happened at all. Then she was there.

"Hello there, Yuusuke! I'm so very pleased to meet you at last!" Her sugary sweet voice filled the air and hung for a moment, like a lingering smell. Every syllable stressed evenly, every word flawlessly sang out. This was the first thing Yuusuke noticed. Then came her appearance. A fair caucasian girl, with sparkling green eyes and perfect auburn hair, shoulder length, every lock in perfect place. Her outfit was surprisingly simple. All of the horrible feelings of foreboding Yuusuke had felt previously had evaporated. Yuusuke's mouth felt dry and distasteful. Before he could speak, the girl with the powerful yoki spoke again. "I am a yokai in search of companionship, and I want to help you. My name is Jennifer, and I've been touring Ningenkai while looking for my destiny. I think I have found it."

"Yes, Jennifer, that's correct." Yuusuke murmured, as though drugged. Ignoring the absolute absurdity of a white girl named Jennifer with an enormous yoki, Yusuke invited her in.

"Oh yes! I do love martial arts dearly as well! It seems we have nearly everything in common, Yuuuke!" Jennifer chirped after speaking for many minutes with Yusuke, who was held captivated by her gaze. "It's as if we were searching for each other all of these years without knowing it, and now we have found each other."

"You're probably right," Yuusuke agreed woodenly.

"Do you have other friends, you know, friends like us, who are also very very handsome?" Jennifer draped her arm across Yuusuke's shoulder and fiddled with the collar of his shirt. Yusuke's skin had become a rather pale shade. He shivered, although he was not cold. "Let's go to them, instead."

"An excellent idea!" Jennifer agreed, clapping her hands.

Moments later they hit the pavement. The sun was setting, and the streets were teeming with people. Quite by chance, they were discovered by Kazuma Kewabara.

"Eh, Urameshi, who's that, a new girlfriend?"

"Yeah, in a manner of speaking. It's not like you'll ever have one with your looks, eh Kewabara." Yuusuke teased, although somewhat halfheartedly.

"What happened to Keiko? You're not cheating, are you? I'll kill you if you are!" Kazuma narrowed his eyes. Yuusuke looked puzzled.

"Who the hell is that?" Kazuma gasped and grew pale.

"You-you broke up? Ah, I see. I won't press it then." There was a slight pause. "What happened then? Did she find a more worthy man?" Before Yusuke could speak, Jennifer's intoxicating voice preempted his thoughts.

"Do you find me to be extraordinarily attractive?" Jennifer asked Kazuma playfully.

"No, not really. You look really normal to me." Kazuma found Yusuke's fist on him after that remark. Jennifer waved him down, and Yusuke, surprisingly, was complacent.

"You. You are not a yokai." She put a long finger out at Kazuma. "No," Kazuma looked around somewhat confused.

"Come Yusuke, let's find your other friends." Jennifer herded Yusuke in another direction. Like a dog, Yuusuke followed. They were soon gone.

"Ugguu...I got a bad vibe from that lady," Kazuma shivered, but walked on, putting the issue out of his mind.

* * *

"Oi! You, Oni, clear this up! This place is a psycho ward! A total loony bin!" Koenma gesticulated violently at a purple Oni named Bob who was pushing papers around. With the holiday season coming around in much of the world, people were drinking while intoxicated, committing suicide, holding up banks, bombing large buildings, and other such activities that involved large mortality rates. With Enma in custody and the population of the Ningenkai at record highs, things were simply getting out of hand. Hiei had been doing a good job patrolling the border, but youkai were always escaping and slipping in to the Ningenkai, people were always being stupid and stumbling into the Makai, and everything was just a hair's breadth away from just falling apart. Of course, that would describe a typical morning anyway. George, head honcho of all paper pushers, just fed up, but that was normal too.

"George, what's this morning's work eh? Bring it on! I feel like I could fight ten of Sensui today, and actually win. Also, have they fixed the coffee machine yet?" George sighed as his boss went about business as usual and made a mental note about the coffee machine. A typical day included millions of requests for higher placement in death, mortality confirmations, death sentences, life sentences, excommunications, and other such things. All of which required paperwork. Stacks and stacks of paperwork to be done by one irate boss with an attitude problem.

"George, have you seen Ayame about?" the voice of Koenma came from behind a large stack of paper.

"Yes. She does the bookkeeping too, that's where I saw her."

"So that means that Bingo night is over, yes?"

"Yeah, so why do you ask?" George scratched his head and pushed another wheelbarrow full of paper closer to Koenma's desk and then began to mindlessly finger the single horn on his head.

"If Ayame is back from Bingo Night, then how come Botan isn't? Don't tell me she's galavanting off with Kurama during work hours...I'll have her head for this! I'll show her what's what! I'll just..." the diminutive lord of the underworld began another tirade about all of the horrid things he'd do to Botan when he saw her next, but of course he would never do them. George sighed. Ever since Botan and Kurama had begun a romantic relationship, the abuse he received had only doubled. So life at the universe's most insane office continued.

* * *

"Oh, Kurama, you are absolutely charming!" Jennifer tittered over a pickle from a local deli. Yusuke had led Jennifer straight to Shuichi's house, and they had hit off. Secrets were told freely, and Kurama accepted the newcomer freely without any suspicions or qualms. In fact, he was very nearly in love with her, and yet he felt a sense of foreboding, just as Yuusuke had in the beginning, only more profound. The yokai side of him was urging him to accept this Yokai girl at face value, welcome her, and fall in love, but the part that was Minamino Shuichi was very nervous and even more suspicious. Kurama pushed the Shuichi part of his mind away as he let Jennifer's sugary words fill him with an overwhelming desire to continue to be in the presence of this person. The kitsune never even noticed that Yuusuke held a blank gaze and said almost nothing. Yusuke's hands slowly turned white as he grew more and more cold.

Kazuma's sixth sense was really flaring up. He had a terrible feeling about that girl Yusuke was with. She presented herself as a youkai, but Kazuma sensed no yoki in her body at all. To top everything off, he hadn't heard from Keiko or Botan for days. Suddenly Kazuma stopped, right in the middle of the sidewalk, letting irate pedestrians pass him by. Yusuke didn't even talk about Keiko. She wasn't in town, so was there a connection? Kazuma rubbed his temples. He wasn't cut out for sleuthing, that was for sure. Hands in pockets, hunched over, Kazuma began to wander back home.

End, Chapter One


	2. Kurama Trapped

Author's note: Dedicated to the man who inspired me, known as Ash The Wanderer and all those who hate Mary Sue. Also to DarkWarLordofDoomness who reminded me that I have a duty to carry this story out to the very end. Fortunately I had actually written this chapter months ago and just forgot to uplaod it. Silly me!  
This and the previous chapter will be using at least 15 Mary Sue cliches taken right from the Mary Sue litmus test (there are a few more that are to come). It will be painful. Your eyes may bleed. The person who finds the most gets a minor character named after them.

* * *

Deep within the bowels of that hidden place, she awakened, almost like a second birth. Her eyes opened and blinked wildly, frantically, but saw nothing. Her arms itched - no, they were in pain. She tried to scratch them, but could not move. Aside from the pain, which came and went, she only felt water, rushing, rushing, filling her nose and ears and mouth with a poisonous deathly taste. For days she existed in a state of waking nightmares, and cried bitter pearls. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Minamino household currently had two guests. Yuusuke and Jennifer. At first Kurama had been concerned for Yuusuke's health, but suddenly as soon as the thought had entered his mind, Yuusuke's color returned and he then began an animated conversation. The three of them were sitting on the floor around the table, although the female guest was the only one eating. She rustled the wrapper of the pickle she had been delicately eating before. Her nature was most definately ambiable. Although Kurama had sensed danger partly, he also bristled with excitement. The kitsune felt almost torn. Yuusuke engaged the group in conversation once more.  
  
"Jennifer, you told me earlier that you were a youkai, didn't you?" Jennifer giggled. Yuusuke and Kurama then noticed she had a light accent, almost unnoticable that seemed to add to her charm. A quaint old world kind of accent, the kind that one doesn't hear much anymore, not tracable to any sort of locale.  
  
"Oh, well, I wouldn't say that, I'm really merely half you see. My father was a youkai, but he was tragically killed in a robbery. I wept for five years, and then I heard about you, dearest Yuusuke, and I came to find you." It was clear than Yuusuke had been taken with pity for Jennifer by this breif story. "I dearly loved my father, he was a rather high class youkai too, but he was no match for the intruder, a fox." Jennifer looked passionately at Kurama, but he was unmoved.  
  
"Jennifer, that's an unusual name you have." Kurama pointed out. "Are you from America?"  
  
"Is it?" Jennifer sounded slightly annoyed at the comment. "No, no, I'm not from America, I'm from Makai...like everyone else...My full name is Jennifer Estell Guremaru."  
  
"I see."  
  
There was a lull in the conversation. Yuusuke looked at Jennifer adoringly. She was so beutiful, almost unnaturally so, like a wax rose. It was then Yuusuke noticed Jennifer had purple eyes.  
  
"You wear contacts?"  
"No. You think this isn't my natural eye color?"  
"Your eyes...they're so resplendent they couldn't be real." Kurama found such a comment rather unnatural coming from Yuusuke, and almost corny, but then he realized it was himself who had said it. Immedeately he felt shock, horror, and then a slow feeling of contentment. It was okay to say weird things to Jennifer...she was so good and fine. A wax rose was always more perfect than the real thing.  
  
"That's not all!" Jennifer grinned girlishly. "Look!" from her palms ever so small, as small as a grain of sand, an orb of purple chi appeared, and then grew larger and larger, until it was the size of an egg. Then it burst and dissapeared. It was a neat trick.  
  
"That was pretty cool, but I-"  
  
"Yes, your raigan is very impressive. I can't wait to see it in action! Genkai was a good teacher to you."  
  
"That hag!" Yuusuke said oddly. For a moment he regretted it, but then he let the feeling go and enjoyed the happy feeling of carelessness that he felt in Jennifer's presence.  
  
"I thought...your opinions toward your teacher had changed." Kurama studied Yuusuke closely.  
  
"She's in the way, I don't care for that witch at all." Kurama was going to comment on how incredibly strange everyone's behavior was, but then he felt a bit...wild...a feeling of passion swept over him, and strangely he found himself favorably inclined towards Jennifer. He wanted to please her. He wanted her to love him. In one of Jennifer's perfect Purple eyes, one might have seen a wicked gleam. But it made her all the more beautiful, her bad-girl nature contrasting with her perfect womanly curves.  
  
"You're both so cute! Next time I'll have to bring my guitar, and then we can all sing together. I'm terrific at singing." Kurama was taken, hook, line, and sinker.  
"Please, demonstrate for us!"  
  
And so Jennifer broke into song

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Reikai could be tantamount to any Gotham, in that it is a city that never sleeps. Things pass through and through, orders and releases, forms and red tape. Lots of red tape. There were really two main stamps of the Reikai's paper pushing system, an accept and regect stamp, and all of that they signify. But no group of beurocrats and the oni who serve them can go on forever without breaks. Without fail, at least once a week, those who worked would put away their paperwork and go to their beds and rest. The doors would close, and all would be quiet for a few blissful hours. Nobody noticed the absence of one insignificant ferry girl, one of hundreds. Nobody, save one. The Reikai prince went to the doors of Reikai and waited, the knawing feeling of dispair growing ever more sickening. Day broke and still the person whom he was waiting for never arrived. The phrase "absent without official leave" seems a joke when someone you truly care for is missing. It was time to begin a search.

* * *

Tune in next time for the further atrocities of the character everyone loves to hate!


	3. The Last Target

Author's note: Hrm, very superficial revisions to this chapter. I'm not very happy with it, there may be more drastic changes in the future.

Chapter Three: The Last Target

Another late night shift. The drudgery never ended. Find lost humans and take them back, find lost youkai and take them back. This was the job Hiei had since he had lost the Makai tornament two and a half years prior. It was of some consolence that in two years Hiei could go about as he wished without playing babysitter to a bunch of imbeciles. And there was Muruko. One of her men, Kiren, had noted that she looked very much at peace. He speculated that she had lost the tournament because she wasn't too emotionally invested in the outcome. In the time following the tournament she was more peaceful than she had ever been. It was too bad, Hiei mused, since there was going to be a new tournament in about six months. Maybe then someone with less of a bleeding heart than Enki could win and repeal his proclaimation that no youkai was to go to ningenkai or harm humans. Hiei could imagine the rest of those nitwits training and preparing themselves. The outcome didn't matter much to him, so long as he could end up in a comfortable position. At least, this is what Hiei told himself.

When he returned to Muruko's lair early in the morning, he found the place in dissaray. Obviously there had been some sort of struggle. He didn't have to walk too far in to see Muruko herself standing unscathed in the middle of it all. "Redecorating?" Hiei quipped. Muruko smirked at the thought.

"Some idiots tried to capture me and drag me off. It was very boring. At first I was excited because they were able to break in at all, but it seems to be an unhappy fluke. None survived, of course." Hiei looked around. On closer inspection he could see the damp remains of a piece of some organic thing. An unlucky youkai who could only have dreamed of Murkuo's power.

"Probably some fool with lackeys wanted me to fight on their side in the tournament." mused Muruko. Hiei was bored already.

"Hn."

Jennifer had lead her bagged youkai entourage to a warehouse. It was out of the way of people worrying about strange noises, making it desirable when Jennifer was a prospective buyer. Now she finally had things to store in it.

"Now sweetie," Jennifer stroked Yuusuke's chin. He stared blankly ahead. The spell had taken full effect. "Where might I find your friend Hiei"

"I haven't got a clue." Yuusuke's answer came quickly without hesitation, but his voice had a sort of strangled quality. The diction was Yuusuke's, but the tone rang false. Jennifer showed no anger, but turned to Kurama, equally transfixed.

"Darling, do you know"

"No, I do not." At this Jennifer's eye twitched, but again made no display of anger. By this time her elite forces were bound to have all prospective distractions from her powers removed. In previous centuries she had overlooked that particular aspect, but after being defeated one too many times by a lover's bond, she had refined her technique. Of course she should have gotten rid of that obnoxious Kazuma brat, Jennifer thought to herself, but he'll go soon anyway. She had only one target left, Hiei.

Jennifer's pensive mood was interrupted by a weak knocking at the warehouse's garage door. Jennifer flipped aside her long tresses of georgeous hair and lifted the door. An attractive young man limped in, bleeding and collapsed on the floor. After the door fell shut again, the young man turned into a horribly mangled looking oni. It was merely a disguise. He was holding his innards in with one hand. Jennifer stared down with contempt.

"I told you never to come here"

"Fairest...please...I must tell you." gasped the dying youkai. Jennifer still was indifferent. The youkai reached for Jennifer's leg, but she withdrew it in disgust. "Our data on the female in closest proximity to Hiei was incorrect." blood poured from the youkai's mouth. "The female in question is in fact the great Muruko. I am the only one who survived." Jennifer's expression was difficult to read. She stood for a moment thinking. Then she stomped on the youkai's head, crushing it. Blood, bone, and brain spattered the area. It twitched and then lay still. Jennifer looked out through the window at the sky, dawn just breaking. The bloodspatters on her face making her all the more beautiful. If Hiei really was close to Muruko, things were even better than she had planned.

Koenma had rushed to ningenkai as fast as circumstances could allow. After he made the decision at the end of the Makai tournament never to keep another spirit detective again, and it had been some time since he had assumed human form to take a jaunt down to the human world. He'd pledged never to interfere with Yusuke's life again, but It was just as well that he could nag at Yuusuke about the upcoming tournament and other bothers. The only problem was, Yuusuke wasn't at home. Koenma waited outside of Yusuke's door for five minutes, and then walked in. It was casually unlocked, which was unusual. A quick survey revealed that Yusuke was nowhere in sight and that he was hiding several putrid pizza boxes behind a desk. Atsuko was also out, but had left a note at least, explaining that she was partying. It was a bit disconcerning for everyone to be missing. Koenma left the apartment with more questions then answers. As he was walking out of the complex, he was relieved to see Kazuma, but the relief didn't last long.

"Have you seen Urameshi anywhere?" Kazuma asked, looking a bit tired. "I've been up all night looking for him, but I haven't seen that idiot since he was with his new girlfriend." Koenma was a bit taken aback.

"Well, no, Kewabara. I thought he might be with you." Koenma took a few seconds to digest the rest. "New girlfriend? What about Keiko"

"Yeah, seems Yuusuke's two-timing her. I don't know what she thinks though, because I haven't seen her. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Shizuru lately either, but I figured she was doing something"

Koenma was growing concerned. "Don't you think something odd is going on? Botan is missing too"

"What? Botan!" Kazuma's eyes grew big. "This is getting way to weird to be a coincidence." Koenma looked up at the tall boy. "That's putting it lightly. Let's try to figure something out." and so the unlikely alliance was made.


	4. Hiei Escapes For Now

Hey guys! Totally forgot I had an account on the good old eff-eff-dee-en. Might as well bring this story to a happy conclusion!

Unfortunately, I completely forgot the direction I was originally taking this, but I'm sure whatever I come up with now will be just as good!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, blah blah

* * *

With mounting anxiety, Koenma and Kewabara returned to Kewabara's place to discuss things in private. 

"All right, you know everything, why don't you tell me what's going on?" demanded Kewabara as soon as they felt reasonably safe.

"Honestly, I don't know a thing. I noticed that Botan's soul has simply disappeared." Koenma allowed himself a moment to contemplate her fate, then continued. "I can't sense it anywhere. And now that you've mentioned Keiko, I don't think I can detect hers either, though in a large city like this there's understandably a margin for error."

"Margin for error?" Kewabara cried incredulously. "She could be in a lotta trouble!"

"Furthermore, now that I've considered it for some time, I haven't detected the presence of your sister or even Yusuke's mother."

"You gotta girl radar in there?" Kewabara laughed, breaking the tension.

"Don't be stupid. It's just, ever since I put my father away and was crowned Enma, my existing abilities have become much more refined."

"Training a lot? You don't seem the type," Kewabara snickered.

"Not at all." Koenma rolled his eyes. "The strength of the son of Enma is inversely related to the strength of Enma himself. It's part of a sealing spell placed on every heir to the Enma from their first moment of existence. As my father weakens, so does his ability to maintain the seal. That's why I haven't hired another spirit detective yet. My father never had any deep interest in humanity, but I do, and in a century or so, I will be the strongest being in the universe and be able to take care of matters personally."

"Don't get a swelled head," Kewabara gave Koenma a playful punch.

"Gyaaa! You moron, that really hurt!"

"Some 'strongest being in the universe' you are!"

"Idiot," Koenma muttered.

"But then, what about Yukina?" Now Kewabara was all business. "She should be easy to find, since there aren't so many yokai around here."

"She's gone. Not dead, I'd make a special note of that. She's disappeared just like the rest. There's no doubt."

Kewabara jumped to his feet, enraged. "Come on, let's go right now!"

"Where?"

"We're goanna find Urameshi! He has the answer to all of this, I just know it! He's been acting totally weird!"

"I can sense him in the warehouse district."

"Way out there? What's he doing there?"

"Whatever he's doing, he's doing it with Kurama."

Kewabara steamed, filled with a grave new purpose. He roughly grabbed Koenma by the arm and dragged him away to find an explanation for the disappearance of Yukina.

* * *

"Someone is coming," Hiei told Mukuro. "Someone who isn't a yokai. Someone who isn't anything." 

Mukuro arose from bed and began to get dressed. "I have a feeling it's the one who sent our guests from earlier."

"No doubt." Hiei sniffed. "I don't think this is worth my time." He stacked Mukuro's pillow beneath his own.

Mukuro smiled inwardly and walked out.

"He was wrong, I see now. You are a yokai, aren't you?" Mukuro asked the wilderness outside.

"Indeed," a lovely girl with enormous purple eyes stepped out of the trees. "And you're the mighty Mukuro,"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Mukuro prepared to make short work of this intruder. If she had important to say, then she would have to say it before she was reduced to a pile of ash. Suddenly, though, she had a change of heart. "You really are a lovely girl, aren't you?"

"My name is Jennifer," Jennifer gave a winning smile.

"Come on in, I'll make you some tea!" Mukuro said with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

"Yes, I would like that very much."

Hiei had seen the entire exchange with his third eye. And he felt...fear? If not fear, apprehension, certainly. He had seen Mukuro twitch, silently preparing to kill, and then suddenly abandon her plan and invite this non-yokai, this nothing, into her home. What had happened? Was it that Mukuro knew he was watching and has said such strange things as a coded way of warning him of danger? She didn't really expect him to flee, did she? He could sense Mukuro and this other drawing near now. And the other now had the energy signature of a yokai! Curious indeed! In an instant he resolved to keep a healthy distance away from this odd newcomer and observe her actions with Mukuro. He slipped out into the woods and kept a clairvoyant eye to the proceedings.

"So, Mukuro dear, you live with Hiei, don't you?" Jennifer asked, seated at a simple table.

"I do," Mukuro served Jennifer tea as promised.

"Where is he, Mukuro, tell me,"

"He's here," Mukuro paused. "No...he's far away, watching us with the Jagan."

"Do you think he would come here if I tortured you?"

"No, he wouldn't fall for such an obvious ploy."

"Well, we shall see." Jennifer took a deep sip of the tea. "Oh, Mukuro, would you braid my hair?"

"Of course, Jennifer, anything for you,"

"Yes, but first, would you lick my boots?"

"I would be happy to,"

Suddenly, Jennifer looked up and looked straight ahead.

Hiei flinched in surprise. Jennifer was looking straight at him. He understood her meaning. She expected him to come to her. Not a chance! Hiei scoffed to himself. While Jennifer was humiliating Mukuro in a show for his benefit, she was demonstrating to him her power over yokai. There was no chance he would trap himself in her net. Already his mind was working on a thousand ways to do away with this nuisance. He never had the reasoning capacity of Kurama, the man he trusted the most, but Hiei was no fool. He ruled out trying to take out Jennifer with some projectile from afar - Mukuro would simply be deployed as a living shield, and he wanted to avoid an all out brawl with Mukuro again. He couldn't gather a band of yokai to attack Jennifer en masse, they would surely fall victim to Jennifer as well. He would consult Kurama about the appropriate plan of action.

His thoughts now on the human world, he decided he would begin the patrol early. He had forgotten to check up on Yukina with the Jagan lately, and it was difficult to see things in Ningenkai from so far away in Makai. Seeing her safe as usual would help him collect his thoughts.

* * *

"Alright, here it is? Now where's Urameshi so I can kick his ass?" Kewabara was stomping around, kicking at corrugated steel. Koenma watched passively and gave his pacifier a pensive nibble. 

"The one to the right of here. He's just sitting around," he walked up to the warehouse's door and tried it. It was locked. "Hey! Yusuke!" he called. There was no answer.

"Maybe he's not in there," Kewabara added, trying to be helpful.

"There's no doubt he's here. Oi! Yusuke, open up! Kurama!" Still, no answer. "They aren't injured or asleep, they're ignoring us." Koenma grumbled. "I'm not in favor of property damage, but how about getting rid of this door?" Kewabara didn't need to be told twice. He produced his spirit sword and made short work of the steel walls.

"Urameshi, where are you?" Kewabara leapt into action. Immediately he was met with a foul, offensive odor. He would have fallen back had he not been so determined. Inside he could see Kurama and Yusuke standing silently without moving, and nearby the corpse of a yokai, rotting away while being devoured by hoards of insects. "Oh, gross!" Kewabara shouted. "What are you doing? Get outta here and talk to me!" Yusuke merely turned to face Kewabara's direction and raised his index finger. Before Kewabara could react, everything went dark.

"Is the fool awake yet?" Kewabara could hear Hiei grumbling from some distance away.

"It seems he's coming around," Koenma's voice answered. Kewabara's eyes slowly flickered open. "Here comes sleeping beauty,"

"I can't believe Urameshi shot at me like that!" Kewabara bellowed, jumping to his feet. They were in his room. "He couldda killed me!"

"Actually, he did," Koenma stated plainly.

"What?" Kewabara shrieked, creeped out by the very idea. "No way!"

"Yeah, but fortunately I had enough energy stored up to make a quick revival."

"It seems that Yusuke was finally fed up with that ugly face of yours," Hiei added dryly.

"Did he finally turn evil because he's a yokai? I can't believe this!" Kewabara wailed, working himself into a state.

"Far worse," Hiei said, savoring Kewabara's anticipation. "He and Kurama are under the control of a terrible creature that calls itself...Jennifer."

* * *

To be continued... 


	5. Motives

Author's note:

As one anonymous reviewer pointed out, there were some ... story issues... namely me getting confused between the Makai and Dark tourneys. My only explanation is that there was a four year gap between when I first started writing this and now, and I honestly have no idea what was in my head or what I was thinking at the time I started writing this. These errors have since been corrected, but should I make mistakes in the future, please point them out. For my own part, I'll try to not play so fast and loose with established fact.

* * *

Rewind: 

Hiei fled for Ningenkai as fast as his legs could carry him, a speed faster than the human eye could track. From the show that Jennifer had put on in order to intimidate him, he could tell she wanted to capture him specifically. Well, too bad for her! Hiei had no intention of being slavishly devoted to anyone. Suddenly, he sensed it through his third eye - Jennifer and Mukuro were giving chase. They'd never catch up to him, but they could wreak havok on Ningenkai. But if this Jennifer thought that would make him give himself up to her, she had another thing coming. Hiei pressed on.

-----

Yusuke and Kurama were standing alone together, motionless, in a warehouse. Hiei could see that much. Given their listless expressions and lack of purpose for doing so, it seemed that the unfortunate truth was that they had already been ensnared. Even so, he wanted to see the extent of this new menace's powers. Could she really control her victims from so far away? Would her hold on them weaken with time or distance, or even quantity? He ran to the warehouse and entered through the skylight.

"Hello," he said, making his presence known. At first Yusuke and Kurama remained standing, motionless, but then they mechanically whirred to action.

"Why, hello there, Hiei," Kurama said. His hair was uncharacteristically messed up. It hung from his scalp in clumps held together by sweat. Just how long had he been held captive here?

"How are you, Kurama," Hiei asked cynically.

"Absolutely wonderful! You see, Hiei, I've fallen in love."

"That's nice." A dry reply.

"Me too!" Yusuke added with enthusiasm. "This girl's totally right for me!" Yusuke's physical condition seemed no different than usual, not a good indicator in any event, as Yusuke was never one to pay to much attention to personal hygiene. He was never one to pay attention to the amorous advances of women either.

"Stay awhile, Hiei," Kurama smiled. "She'll be here soon, she's just so very eager to meet you."

"No thanks, I think I'll be going now." Hiei jumped for the skylight, but slammed hard into the ground. Kurama's rose whip was wrapped around his ankle. With one slick motion, Hiei sliced through it, but suddenly found him surrounded by razor sharp rose petals, inhibiting his escape. The next thing Hiei noticed was Yusuke's raigun heading straight for him. He dodged narrowly, then escaped through the new hole in the ceiling that the blast had caused; he continued to run. He had been able to escape so easily because the two had been working independently to delay or kill him. Had they been coordinated, then Yusuke would not have fired such a large blast. It was, ironically, the size of the blast, which had facilitated Hiei's escape. It had not only made short work of the razor-petals, it was so bright that Kurama couldn't possibly track his movements at all. But who to go to for help? A non yokai, for sure. But the strongest human being was...Hiei shuddered at the thought of asking him for help. It would be best, Hiei decided, to wait for further developments.

Hiei didn't have to wait long. Another large discharge of yoki caught his attention. Yusuke had once again let loose his signature attack. He took a high vantage point on a skyscraper and observed the proceedings. The idiot human and the fool god had tried to confront Yusuke and Kurama themselves, and Kewabara had gained himself a hole in the chest for his efforts. Koenma had quickly dragged the corpse off, and was in the process of hauling the body back to somewhere deeper in the city. The deity had to have some idea of what was going on, even if he was a complete imbecile at times. It was Hiei's opportunity to present himself.

"Need a hand?" Hiei dropped back into a visible speed before Koenma. Kewabara was slung over Koenma's back in a weak attempt at a fireman's carry. Against all expectations for a god of death, Koenma was remarkably frail. Even so, Hiei felt no amusement in this, even if Koenma was such a senseless cretin. "Where do we drop him off, the dumpster?"

"Yeah, right." Koenma said darkly. "We have to get him back on his feet."

"Hn."

"I agree completely." Hiei made no motion to help Koenma. "In any event, we can't allow Kewabara to be killed again. A soul can't be ripped from its vessel too many times, it'll be damaged, and he's far too important to lose now."

"If you say so."

"Hiei, I want you to look for Yukina for me." Koenma suddenly said. Hiei didn't like where this was going.

"Is there a reason?"

"Just do it." Koenma grumbled, straining under the weight of the newly late Kazuma Kewabara. Hiei was just waiting him to trip over his cape. Turning his attention to more pressing matters, Hiei tried to see his sister, but found himself unable to locate her at all. Inside, rage boiled. From the sound of things, this Jennifer was the likely culprit of this mischief. "You couldn't find her, could you?"

"It's this creature, this Jennifer," Hiei said haltingly.

"Wait, what? You know what's going on here?"

"All I know is that there's a being called Jennifer that can control any yokai unfortunate enough to get too close. I also know that she's going to be here in Ningenkai with Mukuro any moment now."

"Really?" Koenma cried, dropping Kewabara's body on the ground. "That's terrible! Do you know what it wants?"

"I haven't a clue. I only know that for the moment it wants to add me to its collection, like that's going to happen." Hiei stooped to grab Kewabara's arm. "Come on, let's haul this moron somewhere out of the way."

They made good time to Kewabars's apartment and placed him roughly on his bed. Koenma initiated the process of revival, and then they returned to business.

"All of the humans Yusuke and Kurama close to have disappeared." Koenma began. "Not to mention Botan and Yukina, who aren't even human. I think it's related to your Jennifer."

"I admit the circumstances are suspect, but what is the connection?"

"I'm not going by much, but the entire thing reminds me of an event which occurred near the very beginning of my career. There was some sort of spirit creature who was able to take control of spirit beings in much the same way this Jennifer controls yokai. Caused quite a stir back home, as I recall."

"So, what happened? How was it defeated?"

"Well, I uh, sealed it away." Koenma looked uncomfortable.

"Is the fool awake yet?" Hiei abruptly changed the subject. If Koenma was going to act shifty, extracting any extra information would doubtless not be worth the effort.

"It seems he's coming around," Koenma answered, relieved to get off the subject. Kewabara's eyes slowly flickered open. "Here comes sleeping beauty,"

"I can't believe Urameshi shot at me like that!" Kewabara bellowed, jumping to his feet. They were in his room. "He couldda killed me!"

"Actually, he did," Koenma stated plainly.

"What?" Kewabara shrieked, creeped out by the very idea. "No way!"

"Yeah, but fortunately I had enough energy stored up to make a quick revival."

"It seems that Yusuke was finally fed up with that ugly face of yours," Hiei added dryly.

"Did he finally turn evil because he's a yokai? I can't believe this!" Kewabara wailed, working himself into a state.

"Far worse," Hiei said, savoring Kewabara's anticipation. "He and Kurama are under the control of a terrible creature that calls itself...Jennifer."

-----

"Welcome back, dearest," Yusuke greeted Jennifer as she reentered the warehouse, Mukuro following close behind.

"There were intruders, my sweetest," Kurama indicated the holes in the walls and ceiling. "Hiei and Kewabara Kazuma. The human was dealt with, but Hiei escaped." Jennifer drew nearer and stroked Kurama's cheek gently.

"It's all right, I forgive you for your incompetence." She turned to Yusuke and nibbled his ear. "You too, are forgiven." Yusuke broke into grateful tears.

"You're so kind..."

"I have a new job for you, Kurama. Escort Mukuro to where the others are being kept, if you will. Mukuro, go with him."

"I would be delighted!" Mukuro said, all to happily.

"Excellent." Jennifer closed her eyes, feeling a perfect state of zen. With Kewabara dead, the only objective remaining was to claim Hiei for herself. She decided to celebrate with a pedicure.

-----

"Did you feel that?" Koenma suddenly cried.

"I did," Hiei repied.

"What are we feeling? Is this some new age thing?" Kewabara asked, hopelessly confused.

"Mukuro's disappeared as well!"

"So what're we supposed to do about it?" Kewabara was practically foaming at the mouth.

"Talk to this Jennifer, see if we can negotiate," Koenma got up to pace.

"And if that doesn't work, we'll resort to force," Hiei completed the thought.

"And by force, you guys mean me." Kewabara turned pale. "There's no way I can take on Urameshi and Kurama by myself!"

"Hold your peace, Kewabara." Koenma said pensively. "We'll blow that bridge up when we come to it."

"I don't like the sound of that at all."

"You guys just hold tight - I'm going to project my spirit to where our 'Jennifer' is and have a little chat." Koenma retook his seat at Kewabara's desk. "Make sure this human body doesn't fall over and crack its skull open on the corner of the table or anything."

"Eh?" Kewabara asked, lost. Suddenly Koenma slumped forward. "Don't take a nap now!" Kewabara shook Koenma furiously, but he was limp.

"Don't bother," muttered Hiei. "He can't hear you."

-----

Jennifer was happily repainting her toenails, lounging lazily on Kurama's bed. Yusuke was like a sentinel at the window. There was a small breeze that ruffled her perfect locks of hair. She began to hum an intoxicatingly lovely tune.

"Feeling happy?" a voice asked from nowhere. Yusuke tensed, ready to defend his mistress. A handsome teenage boy with a pacifier sauntered into the room.

"Yusuke, kill him," Jennifer ordered softly, without looking up. Yusuke took a swing at the intruder, but his fist met air. It was now fairly apparent that the third party in the room wasn't even solid.

"You don't think I'd really manifest myself here physically, did you?"

"Actually, I kind of did, yeah," said Jennifer in a sultry manner. "You needn't bother with the disguise, Koenma, I know it's you."

"It's Enma-Daioh now, actually, but that's not important. What are you doing?"

"Putting glitter on my big toe."

"Right. Where have all of the close friends of Yusuke and Kurama gone?"

"Isn't it obvious," she looked at the intruder, her purple eyes suddenly cold and vicious, "I've eliminated all competition for their love." The color in the face of the ruler of Reikai drained away.

"So it is you. What do you want this time?"

"The same thing as last time. The worlds, all of them."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"You're going to hand over Reikai to me. With Mukuro, Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei under my control, the other two worlds will follow shortly." Jennifer accidentally spilled the bottle of nail polish over Kurama's sheets, leaving a large red blotch. "I have to admit, this plan has certain other benefits to me as well."

"What makes you think I'll give you the keys to the kingdom? You should know, I'm not moved by hostages." Koenma was ready to congratulate himself for sounding so strong and decisive.

"Until you hand over Reikai, I'll execute one of their friends once every twelve hours."

"Hello, I'm the God of Death. Pleased to meet you."

"But I'll begin with the ferry girl." If Koenma was still in his human body, his heart would surely have skipped a beat.

"Yes, well, I'll, erm, get back to you on that." He faded away. Jennifer laughed childishly.

"Wasn't he silly?"

-----

Koenma's eyes suddenly flickered back to life. Kewabara jumped back. He had been about to let Koenma have it with a black felt-tip marker. Hiei merely gave him an oblique look.

"We have to act immediately."

"So...?" Kewabara waited for further details.

"Botan will be executed within hours unless we stop this menace."

"And?" Kewabara was eagerly anticipating more. "Can't you just bring her back, just like you did for me?"

"Unfortunately, no, I can't. To kill a being of Reikai you must shred the soul, which would be easy to do if Botan was captured while in human form. Because our bodies are artificial constructs, they would simply cease to exist without our souls powering them. Because of this, when there is damage to the body, it doesn't cause physical damage. It causes damage to the soul instead. Normally a spirit being would abandon their body before they are destroyed entirely, but if they were unconscious, then they wouldn't have the opportunity to voluntarily abandon their body."

"I'm not sure I follow you," Kewabara tried to take it all in.

"Didn't you notice when I fought Sensui that I was thrown into the wall, slammed into the ground, and had all manner of awful things happen to me, but I never once bled?"

"Yeah, I guess so. And then you were falling all over yourself, that was weird." Koenma chose to ignore this observation.

"I've never told anyone this, but Botan's soul has already been torn asunder once and repaired. Should it be damaged now, it would be impossible to repair a second time - it would simply disintegrate."

"Well, then come on! We gotta do something now!" Kewabara was ready for action.

"Good luck," Hiei yawned. "I think I'll go take a nap."


	6. Action

Author's note: Here we are again with another happy installment! I've been having a lot of frustration with this because honestly, I have no idea where I wanted to go with this four years ago. I think I was making some sort of critique on Mary-Sues, but now it's sort of a "overlooked characters take down powerful villain" thing, which is actually a genre I enjoy anyway but...if anybody has got some good suggestions for reigning this back into Mock-Sue territory, I'm up for it.

* * *

Keiko did not know where she was, nor how long she'd been there, but there was one thing she knew: she was afraid, terrified, even. She felt like she was swimming, and yet was not suffocated. It seemed as though she was suspended in a dream-like state. No sound could escape her throat when she tried to cry out. She wondered if she'd died and gone to hell. She was certain, though, that the last thing she'd seen before waking up in a state of nothingness was a gorgeous girl with glittering eyes and a voice that dripped like honey. 

- - -

Jennifer stood, flanked by Kurama and Yusuke, on the tall apartment complex where Shinobu Sensui once stood three years earlier, looking over Yusuke's apartment. If she had known who Sensui was years ago, she surely would have tried to win him over to her cause, even if he was a human. She had other methods of persuation. She'd misled the now-Enma Daioh, and, having some time to kill, she decided to use the time he would waste in further pursuits of pleasure.

"Yusuke, do you love me?" Her voice tinkled like a chorus of silver bells.

"More than anything!" Yusuke answered with gusto. Ah yes, this was amusing, but truly wearing thin. Jennifer's flawless auburn hair flowed in the wind. Time for something new.

"Yusuke, if you truly desire my love over all else, I want you to go," she pointed with one delicate red fingernail. "To that office building over there and destroy it. Raze it to the ground."

"I'll do it!"

"And make sure there are no survivors." Jennifer shooed Yusuke away. Now she had the handsome one all to herself. "Oh Kurama! Ravish me!" She'd been looking forward to this ever since she'd first laid eyes on Kurama in his human form. It was the first time she'd seen him since her exile. He was so stoic that it was quite by chance that she discovered he was capable of expressing romantic affection. When passing through a city park late at night she caught a kiss stolen in the dark between the fiery boy and a blue haired girl. If she hadn't seen it then, the entire plan might have been for naught. Such irony that it was the very same blue haired girl that had stopped her first attempt to dominate the worlds. Kurama was handsome in any form. She would enjoy this.

Yusuke ran to the indicated building and took it down with a single shot. It was a beautiful thing, really. First the burst of light radiated in an arc from his finger. It collided with the edifice, crumbling walls, ruining supports. Then the entire thing collapsed under its own weight. He passed the next few minutes surveying the damage. His heart ached for Jennifer's adoration, so the task delighted him. Every fleeing office worker he saw, he cut down with a swift shot. He hesitated once when he saw a pretty brown haired young woman emerge tearfully from the rubble. She was in her mid twenties, but she reminded him vaguely of someone he once knew. He pondered this for a second, then killed her just as the rest. He looked up to where Jennifer had been perched. She was gone now, but he knew she would like for him to continue. He moved on to the next office building, stepping carelessly through the bloodstained streets.

- - -

"Too bad you don't have all those awesome powers that your dad is supposed to have. Then we wouldn't have to worry about all this." Kewabara remarked offhand after they left his home, leaving Hiei to his nap.

"If I were to assume them all at once, it would probably be too much for me. I'd probably be annihilated. It frightens me sometimes, the abilities my father had. When he was angry, it'd rain fire and brimstone, I swear!"

A loud explosion sounded and the ground shook. Dust flew into the sky.

"What on earth?" Kewabara exclaimed.

"A large discharge of yoki! Jennifer couldn't already be destroying the city, could it?" Koenma asked uselessly.

"We gotta get out of here!" Kewabara's eyes shifted in a panic. "If they come after us, we're no match in a fight!" Koenma's human body disappeared in a puff of smoke as he resumed is normal form.

"Come on," he grabbed Kewabara by the hand and dragged him upward. They were soon soaring for Reikai.

"I think I'm goanna be sick." Kewabara moaned as they became airborne. They arrived in Reikai within minutes and touched down outside the gates. Kewabara had little time to admire the surroundings, however, for as soon as they were admitted inside, he had to run after Koenma, who dashed for his office. The diminutive deity began a furious search through his desk until he pulled out what appeared to be a vintage microphone. "What's that for?" Kewabara asked. He was ignored. Koenma righted his hat then gave the microphone a good tap. A large thud resounded through the complex.

"Citizens of Spirit World - it is imperative that evacuation procedures are enacted now. All must vacate to Ningenkai within an hour. Sorry for the inconvenience." A loud squeal of feedback was heard. "Sorry again," Koenma put the device away. George burst in immediately, eyes wild with fear.

"What in Reikai is going on?" He brushed Kewabara out of the way and leaned over Koenma's desk. "The paperwork, sir, it's piling up! Surely we can't abandon it now! Humans are dying at an incredible rate right now."

"Quiet yoursefl, Oni, I know that." Koenma got up from his large desk chair and opened a hidden panel in the wall. He looked as resolute as a childlike being could as he took a small shiny object in hand.

"The...the Golden Seal? What are you going to do with that?!" George cried out. He nearly prostrated himself at Koenma's feet. "Please don't do anything rash."

"Stop acting like an idiot and get out of my way!" Koenma barked. "It's just a lump of metal, that's all."

"Yeah, but uh, what are you going to do?" Kewabara asked.

"I'm going to give Jennifer the Golden Seal and tell her she can have Reikai."

"What? Have you lost your mind? That's worse than no plan! You're just going to give up?" Kewabara loomed over Koenma, making it clear he wouldn't accept this possibility. George gave a pitiful whimper.

"No chance. Look, I don't lose anything but the gold it's made of by giving it away. It grants symbolic power only. Furthermore, Reikai is only a hub where various gateways to other dimensions converge. Only I can control who enters and exits these other planes of reality. So handing over Reikai to anyone else really isn't such a big deal when you look at it like that..."

"Lord Enma, how could you expect us to abandon everything?" George sobbed. "My life's work...!"

"I still don't like it either! Having to force everyone to move out seems a little harsh just for one bad guy." Kewabara chimed in.

"Look, will you just shut up! I know what I'm doing." Koenma cried in a burst of irritability. "My offensive abilities may be sorely lacking, but my defensive spells are peerless. In Reikai, where I have dominion, my barriers are unbreakable. When Jennifer thinks it's finally won, I'll trap it and dispose of it." Kewabara's mood was raised immediately.

"So basically...we just gotta get it to go to Reikai? That's easy!"

"Yeah, it's easy if Reikai is all it wants. Doubt it though, but this might buy Botan's life." Koenma muttered a little too quickly.

"What was that?" Kewabara asked.

"No, this will definitely work." Just as Koenma was reassuring his redheaded companion, an oni with a clipboard ran in.

"Sir, shall we evacuate the prisoners as well?"

"Oh hell, if everything goes according to plan, we'll all be back to doing paperwork by this evening. Just leave 'em."

"As you wish..."

By the time Koenma and Kewabara had returned to Ningenkai, several more buildings had been reduced to rubble. Once they touched down, Kewabara could no longer restrain himself.

"They're killing everyone! They're going to destroy the world!" he shook with indignation. The wind blew a cloud of dust over them.

"No, if Jennifer wanted to destroy the world, just commanding Yusuke alone she could have done it by now. She's just toying with us, or amusing herself."

"And Hiei didn't do a thing to stop it, I bet." The whites of Kewabara's eyes flashed dangerously. He wanted to fight someone, he wanted to fight someone right that moment. Koenma ignored this statement.

"I've picked up its location."

"Where?"

"It's coming."

"Hello again, great Enma-Daioh!" a dulcet voice cut through the haze. Jennifer stepped through the dust accompanied by Kurama and Yusuke. "So nice to see your current human form in person. I liked the one with the mustache better, personally."

"Here," Koenma tossed the Golden Seal in the air and caught it idly. "You could have them, the keys to the kingdom."

"You're too kind," Jennifer laughed.

"Don't mention it," the lord of Reikai's lips curled into a snarl. Kewabara took a cautious step back. "So, about the hostages,"

"I assure you, they're quite alive. They'll be released in exactly twenty-four hours."

"I don't like those terms."

"It's that or I kill them all now. Make your choice."

"Fine," Koenma handed her the Golden Seal. She stood there a moment, admiring the seal. "Well, go on!" Koenma shouted. "Get out of here!"

"Aww, you're hurting my feelings again," Jennifer sighed. With that, she was gone. Koenma rubbed his temples.

"This is crazy,"

"You're telling me?" Kewabara quipped. "What does she need the girls for anyway? None of 'em can fight." Koenma opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but then presented a screwed expression as he suddenly changed what he was about to say.

"Let's just wait somewhere for her to get to Reikai, then we'll head back and end this."

- - -

Jennifer turned the Golden Seal over in her soft hands. That was certainly easy. Closely followed by Kurama, she traveled to Reikai. Even after hundreds of years, the exterior of the palace was still the same as it had always been. As she expected, the great halls within were completely deserted. She made her way to Koenma's office and sat down in his chair, enjoying for a moment, the feeling of being great and powerful. The office itself was nothing to sneeze at, spare, and decorated in warm pastel hues, but it had obviously still been in use right up until the moment of Reikai's evacuation. Silently followed by Kurama, Jennifer left the office and began to explore the empty palace, trying to find where she remembered the great throne room of Enma was located. She found it in the center, but it was falling into disrepair, everything coated in a thick layer of dust. It hadn't been inhabited for quite some time. Could it be that the new Enma-Daioh feared his own birthright? So he still had the fatal character flaw of hesitation. All the better for her. She was pleased with her situation regarding the former Koenma, but that tall orange-haired boy, she knew, would be a problem. She didn't know anything about him at all, and if he was more powerful than he seemed, it might cause her some problems later on. Best deal with the situation as soon as possible. But first - she was beginning to sense that she wasn't alone in the Reikai complex. There were others here, their energies faint, not out of weakness, but because they were being hidden. She followed her senses to a spiral staircase that seemed to descend forever. The further she walked, the stronger the energy signatures she felt became. At last, she reached the bottom of the stairs in some sort of dark chamber.

"Padmanabha, Lotus-Navel, have you come to blight my presence once again?" a deep voice rumbled in the darkness.

"Kurama, light," Jennifer ordered. Kurama produced a light giving plant. The light was dim, but it was enough to make clear the form of a giant, rather, colossal man sitting in shackles before them. Jennifer stepped forward, but was repelled by an invisible barrier. "What a fearsome face! I take it you are the former Great King Enma?"

"Indeed, you are. I can see you possess the Golden Seal; I knew my son was too weak to rule." the ground trembled as the former ruler of the underworld shifted positions. "He has no strength, all talk and no real power at all. He's left me here to rot for all time because he was too delicate to kill me outright."

"Former Enma-Daioh, you may yet become great again," Jennifer said, her soft features still prominently displayed in the dim light. "Listen to this."

- - -

"I think that's enough time for her to have arrived," Koenma announced. "Are you ready to-" He was cut off by another explosion. Kewabara honed in on its location right away.

"It's that high school near the train station!" he indicated the smoke with his finger. "We have to find a way to stop this right now!" He grabbed Koenma by the wrist and dragged him roughly behind as he took off in the direction of the latest catastrophe.

"We're no match for Yusuke!" protested Koenma. His words fell on deaf ears. They arrived at the school within minutes just in time to see Yusuke run into the doors. The building was still intact, only a large part of its grounds had been shot at.

"He's going to kill all the kids!" Kewabara continued yanking Koenma along.

"It's a diversion! The Jennifer creature just wants to delay us from going to Reikai!"

"Yeah, well it's a good one. We have to try something!" Just at that moment, they heard a terrible scream from within the school. It was a convincing argument in itself. The unlikely duo stormed into the school, ready for action.

* * *

Next chapter: Kewabara and Koenma vs. Yusuke. How can it be anything but one-sided? Stay tuned...or reading... 


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